Twenty Flickering Flames
by Gracidea of the Valley
Summary: All he wanted was a little brother or sister, but it was never safe. So he was alone, and he wishes. Childish, maybe? Sometimes it takes another soul similar to yours (or completely different) to find a place where you can belong. [Summary sucks, I know.]


**Inspired by a Kanata Kara (From Far Away) Fanfic by magnolia-bunny of the same name. Check it out!**

 **I appreciate good shipping, and I will agreed that marissonshipping is cute, but I honestly see them as more brother-sister. This story will divert a bit from canon, but I don't care. It's called fanFICTION for a reason. Age difference between the two is roughly four-five years. Constructive criticism is appreciated!**

 **~Inspired from a Fanfic (and two characters)**

 ** _PS: Happy New Year, everyone._** **:)**

* * *

 _ **Seven**_

The cursing and noises of pain had finally stopped, dropping the flat into an unearthly silence. His small head rose from where it had been buried under the blankets, and the silence made the footsteps in hall seem louder. He flinched, burying his head beneath the sheets again, as if they would protect him, should he incur the wrath of the footstep's owner.

Finally, courage gathered, he peeked out of the room that he could call his own, watching as the man he called 'Father' moved away from the kitchen towards the door that led out.

It wasn't until the door had stayed shut for a solid minute that he dared to leave the protective walls of his room. Feet dashing across the creaky floor, he was in the kitchen a breath later; taking a relatively clean rag, he jumped onto the counter and wet it cold. The house was still as his small body moved out of the kitchen, through the main room, and down the hallway, past his room to the other room. Edging the door open, he crawled onto the bed to where a person was curled up on the blanket.

"M-Mom..." He whispered, rag clutched in his hand, afraid of hurting her more. A soft hiccup came from the person, and familiar cobalt eyes met his. "H-Here." He held out the rag, and the woman accepted it. The pair remained in relative quiet except for the occasional whimper as she pressed the rag to bruises and light cuts.

Finally, she set the rag aside and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you, Alan." He nodded. A hug would only hurt her, so he remained still. They fell into silence again, breathing in synch. "Happy Birthday." Such an odd phrase, but he nodded. "What...what do you want?" _Money is tight, but for you, I'd cross seas._

"What do I want?" _For Father to leave you alone. Or to leave forever; he's never done any good for us. For friends, because everyone at school looks down at me. Or..._ "Could...I-could I have a little brother? Or sister?" Sadness swept across her features, and she pulled him into a tight hug. He remained still, feeling shudders rack her body.

"Oh Alan...I wish I could...I wish...but I can't. I won't...not with _him_. They wouldn't be safe." He pulled away so he could look into the cobalt eyes that were the same as his own. Same pain, same longing, same determination, same love for the other.

"So if I become the strongest, you won't have to be afraid anymore?!"

She nodded in agreement. "One day, I know you will be the strongest there is."

So he wished, for the day to come when he would be the strongest, when she wouldn't have to be afraid, when his Father would leave forever, when he could hold a little brother (or sister), and when they could be a family.

 _ **Ten**_

As he turned the page of the notebook he was writing in, Alan allowed his eyes to wander. The lab was empty except for himself, a testimony of how late he tended to stay. That was okay; it gave him more time to focus, without the voices of the Professor's assistants invading his mind. They were okay, but he didn't feel safe around them. Only the Professor.

This information was interesting; if he was reading it correctly, the energy produced by the KEY-Stone caused a positive reaction to occur in the MEGA-Stone, resulting in a chemical reaction that altered the MEGA-Stone on a physical level. Sort of like exothermic reaction, even if it was for a short while. He glanced at the tattered pages of a tome he had read over so many times before; pages that told of legends, wars, and Pokémon of incredible strength. If he could obtain one of those Pokémon...then he could become the strongest in the world. Right?

"Alan!" He jumped and spun around, but it was only the Professor standing in the doorway. A smile came upon his face; how odd, why was he able to smile when his mother was dead?

"Hey, Professor." He hastily returned the book to the bag he carried, hoping the Professor hadn't noticed it. "What do you need?"

"Well, Cosette finished dinner, and I figured you were in here." Sycamore tucked his hands into his pristine white coat. "And I wanted to give you something. Here," He removed a Pokéball from his pocket. "This is for you." The Pokéball was placed in Alan's smaller hands, and he carefully pushed the release button. There was a flash of light, and a familiar Pokémon landed on the ground. Cobalt eyes widened.

"Charmander!?"

"Char!" The Fire-type happily latched himself onto Alan's leg.

"Professor?" He asked, understanding and not understanding at the same time.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sycamore chuckled. "I'm giving Charmander to you."

"Charmander...to me?" His eyes swung between the Professor and Charmander. Both were grinning, although the Professor's grin was morphing into confusion. "Seriously?"

"Of course. You want him, right?" He stared down at the Charmander, who was still holding onto his leg like it was his lifeline, and swallowed.

"Yeah, I want him." A friend. Someone he could count on. But...not family. No one could replace the one who had left him.

 _There's no way he know it was my birthday, right?_

 _ **Fifteen**_

He and Charizard were staying out in a rural area, having taken shelter in an abandoned shed as sheets of rain poured down.

Forty-two. That was how many Mega-Evolved Pokémon he had battled and defeated. Some battles had been near impossible, others had been easier than expected. Only a year ago, the thrill of battles and the satisfaction of victory would have been enough. But now he felt cold, empty. The bracelet on his wrist was heavy, weighing him down and binding him to something that didn't feel real.

The love from his mother's embrace was gone. The joy he had felt at the Professor's lab was gone. It just didn't matter.

Charizard gave a low rumble, head butting against his arm. Instinctively, a hand rose to rub his snout. His partner was the only one he could count on; the only one strong enough to see him through everything that was going on.

He had failed. One person had stuck with him, despite him pushing her away, and she had ended up getting hurt. It was always like that. If he hadn't pretended he didn't mind having her around, her friend wouldn't have gotten hurt, because of him. If he had been more careful, she could have been protected. Her smile could have been protected. What was the point in being the strongest in the world if he couldn't protect a little girl?

Better question, why was he thinking about this? She was just another person in the sea of billions, no different from a thousand ignorant trainers who didn't understand true pain. She was ordinary, sans being more annoying, clumsy, and persistent than the average person, but there was nothing special about her. Right?

This was all confusing. Maybe once Lysandre's Mega Energy system was complete, and Chespie was back to normal, then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to see her smile again, and understand what was behind it.

 _ **Seventeen**_

Mairin was acting suspicious; she had been like that for a week. Every time they settled down for the night, whether in town or in the countryside, she would take Chespie and go off for an hour or so. If he tried to follow her, she would just walk in circles, until he gave up. Or she would yell at him to stop following her, resulting by a smirk on his part, saying that she followed him around, why couldn't he, which was followed with a flustered 'shut up!' Eventually he decided it didn't matter and let her go off, but the feeling of worry didn't go away. It was always a relief when she would reappear.

They had just left Vaniville Town, and both Chespie and Charizard were out of their Pokéballs. The day was stereotypical: clear, with only a few clouds on the horizon. Nothing set this day apart from any other (although he knew it wasn't any other day).

Except for Mairin's fidgeting and attempts at containing her giggles. It had started this morning, but as the day continued on, her attempts at restraining the action became less and less disguised. A Zubat could have seen she was hiding something.

Finally he came to a halt, crossed his arms, and sighed. "What are you hiding, Mairin?" The girl wiggled like a Furfrou pup, glancing at Chespie before digging in her bag for something.

"Happy Birthday!" A square package wrapped in green paper with an orange bow was thrust into his hands. He could only stare; how had she known it was his birthday? _Oh._ _Steven Stone; of course._ "Come on! Open it, open it!" She was rolling back and forth on her feet. Rolling his eyes, he slowly peeled away the paper and opened the box.

It was a Charizard doll, with buttons for eyes and shimmering fabric to make up the flame on his tail. The Pokémon it had been based off of gave a low growl of approval, drawing closer to sniff the doll.

"You made this?" She nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! It took all week, and I messed up so many times that I had to keep redoing it! Then you would follow me, and I couldn't work on it! Geez! Do you know how annoying that was?!" She placed a hand on her hip before grinning. "And that's not all!" He could certainly see that. Clutched in the Charizard's front paws was a small drawstring bag. She continued to giggle non-stop, and he pulled her hat down over her eyes before plucking the bag from the doll's grasp and opening it. He froze.

Inside the bag was a stone that gleamed in all the colors of the rainbow. It was rough, but could be cut and polished properly. Words were stuck in his throat at the realization of what she had gotten. And she knew how much it would mean to him.

"You like it?!" She giggled, bouncing up and down. "I found it weeks ago, but didn't tell you cuz I wanted it to be a surprise! It was so hard keeping it a secret, and I just wanted to tell you, but I didn't-eeep!" Her bouncing had caused her to trip over her own feet, and Chespie had his vines wrapped around her middle to prevent her from landing face-first on the packed dirt. Charizard gave a rumbling laugh and nuzzled her face as Chespie righted her.

A kind smile found it's way onto Alan's face, one that only one other person had been able to draw out of him, so long ago. "I love it. Thank you." Mairin gave a happy squeal before throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. The feeling was warm, but not unwelcome. His own arms encircled her, and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

Something he couldn't name rose up in him.

 _ **Twenty**_

He placed a log in the rock ring and watched the ruby flames consume the offering; the fire Charizard had lit was burning bright and clear. The night was currently warm, but that could change rather quickly for the area they were visiting. Glancing up at the sky, the stars winked mischievously back at him. _Twenty years,_ they sang. _As if I need the reminder_ , his eyes returned to the fire.

His partner was lying next to said fire, head resting on a clawed paw as he watched Alan check on the supply of wood. As Alan drew near to Charizard, the Fire-Flying type let his head rest on the ground and close his eyes, but continued to stay alert for danger. Alan pulled his sleeping bag next to Charizard's side, tucked his shoes into his pack alongside his new Moon Ball (a birthday gift), and slid into the crimson sleeping bag. Brown eyes that were bright with affection peeked at him as he settled against the Flame Pokémon's side, their owner slowly wiggling closer.

"You should be sleeping." Mairin shook her head.

"couldnt sleep." Often, she was so excited by imagining what the next day would bring that she would have trouble falling asleep.

Or nightmares woke her, waking him. Or his nightmares would wake her.

"If you don't wake up on time tomorrow, I'll leave you behind." She snorted and rolled her eyes. They both knew he wouldn't ever do that again.

She had grown up, but still retained her stubborn, sometimes childish side. The childish side that hid her own scars and weaknesses, the fear of being alone and longing for family. They were the same, in the sense of being alone. Their stories were so similar...

He wasn't the strongest, but if he could be strong enough to protect the girl beside him, that would be enough.

Mairin yawned loudly. "Maybe tomorrow I'll Me-Me-Mega Evolvvee..."

"You can't Mega Evolve, Mairin." One of Charizard's cerulean eyes cracked open to examine them before closing again.

"Shut up..." Bébé and Chespie, now a Quilladin, glanced at their trainer, then went back to sleep. She slowly began to hum the tune of an old folksong, one that had been picked up when traveling through a village on the outer edges of Kalos. Somehow, the tune changed into a more familiar song, one that he only heard once a year.

It had been four-half years since their paths had crossed, and fate threw an incredibly annoying, thorn of a girl into his life. She had been the biggest pain he'd encountered since living at the Professor's lab. But now, he couldn't see anyone else traveling with him and Charizard. Finally her humming stopped and she snuggled up against Charizard's side, eyelids dropping.

"Happy Birthday..." He leaned over to press a light kiss to her forehead.

"Good night, Mairin."

He was content.

* * *

 _No matter what, I'll protect you. Through anything that happens to us.  
And I'll be here, to annoy and care about you, cuz that's what little sisters do._


End file.
